The Achilles Heel

For all the drooling over Michigan and Tate Forcier, they are 5-3 and without improved play stand a chance at ending the season just 6-6 or 7-5.

Why is this when ‘everybody knows’ you need a great offense to win games?

As I predicted when he was hired, the problem for the Rich Rodriguez coached teams has never been offense. They may not set the world on fire every week and a disciplined defense can slow the triple option/read option (which is actually a return of the single wing/option football), but they do score points. Even the historic 3-9 squad, a first at Michigan, managed not to be shut out and scored double figures against everyone but the Buckeyes. In fact, that was one of just two occasions in which a Rodriguez team failed to manage double digits since 2003, and he has been shut out just once as a head coach – Virginia Tech in 2001.

The problem for his programs continues to be defense. His opponents score 20-plus points all too frequently and actually average 22.4 points per game. Further, out of 106 games as a head coach the opponent has scored more than twenty on 52 occasions, and his record in those games is 25-32. This baloney about outscoring an opponent in a shoot-out has and always will be a farce; his best teams allowed just 208 and 214 points (17.3 and 17.8 respectively) and finished with records of 11-1 and 10-2 (prior to his departure before their bowl).

Already the Wolverines have surrendered 188 with four games remaining. Those four teams, Illinois excluded, all have the potential to light up the field and once again leave Michigan on the wrong end of the scoreboard. Probabilities indicate Michigan will finish 2-2 at best and perhaps 1-3 unless their defense rises to the challenge. A 6-6 season with a 2-6 finish and an NCAA investigation would not exactly inspire confidence in Ann Arbor.

Defense wins championships, but until Rodriguez figures this out the offense will at least fill the seats in the renovated Big House.

Has anyone noticed receivers and defensive backs don’t try to fake out the officials with incredulous displays when a pass is ruled incomplete? Jump in the way back machine and you will see tantrums and faces which would make even the Wicked Witch of the West melt. Flailing arms, pouting lips, and jumping up and down used to accompany a close ‘incomplete’ call when the officials ruled against a would be receiver. Coaches’ eyes would bulge as their veins nearly exploded while they screamed in the ears of the official that they had made the wrong call…

Instant replay, for all that it sometimes slows the game and does not correct some poor calls (see the disproportionate fumble calls against Purdue where Pryor was going backwards and fumbled but OSU was denied a fumble for ‘lack of forward progress’), at least we no longer see receivers acting like they caught a ball they trapped. The camera doesn’t lie and players know it is going to come out that they didn’t actually catch the football.

There isn’t much chatter about it yet, but Joe Paterno is within striking distance of Eddie Robinson. Entering 2009, JoPa was 383-127-3. Now at 389-128-3, he trails Robinson (408-168-15) by just 19 victories. A mark which seemed unattainable a decade ago may now be passed for a second time.

Who passed it first?

It was none other than John Gagliardi. Although he coaches on a completely different level of football, he has a stunning career mark of 461-125-11 and is the first sitting coach elected to the College Football Hall of Fame. Paterno’s longevity at Penn State is oft mentioned with his tenure now stretching from 1966-2009, but consider Gagliardi has been at St. John’s College since 1953 and started as a head coach at Carroll College in 1949. Yes, you read that correctly, he has been the man with the whistle for six full decades.

To put that into proper perspective in 1949:

Gagliardi’s career as a head coach predated Apartheid in South Africa, American engagement in the Korean War, U. S. Presidents inability to serve more than two terms, the demise of the great studios controlling Hollywood, JFK’s election to the senate, and two of the last three presidents were just out of diapers (Clinton and Bush) while a third (Obama) was not yet born.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Gagliardi

Pet Peeve

How many times do we have to hear ‘Wildcat’ when watching football these days? Will someone please pull out a text on football history and pass it around in the broadcast booths? The so called ‘Wildcat’ is not a new invention but really just the rediscovery of single wing football. Call it what it is. It is not some innovation, but is simply the rediscovery of the old.

After making these comments, I Googled the terms together and found another writer who (thankfully) has a sense of history and put together his thoughts on this myopic terminology.

http://www.rockymounttelegram.com/sports/single-wing-the-building-block-for-wildcat-system-875941.html

It proves one of my favorite adages, “The only think we learn from history is that people don’t learn from history.”

This is probably what the majority of readers have been waiting for in the column…what did I think of the 38-7 thrashing of Minnesota?

First, I will begin by saying this was Minnesota. Over the last five seasons Ohio State has created a pattern

of beating up on the lesser lights in the Big Ten but then failing to measure up when facing the big boys like Penn State, Illinois (during their best season), Texas, LSU, Florida, and USC. Sure, both sides of the line dominated, but I want to see them dominate Penn State and Iowa and a top shelf bowl opponent (like USC) before I declare the problems solved and anoint the defensive line as not simply good but actually ‘great.’

That having been said, here are my thoughts…

I watched this game with particular focus on the lines of both teams and their ability to get to the passer in three seconds or less (on the defensive line) or protect the passer (on the offensive line). I would encourage others to do the same in the final three games of the season and the bowl as it is probably the most telling indicator of who is going to win a game early – and where the game has been won or lost when the final whistle blows.

For all the talk of an improved defense this week, and clearly 7 points allowed is better than 26, the Buckeyes are still not consistently gaining pressure with their front four. When they do opt to go after the quarterback and send additional bodies they arrive in a hurry, but otherwise Minnesota’s offense had the time to make the plays and did not. This does not bode well for Penn State and Iowa unless perhaps the Buckeyes were simply going vanilla and saving their better schemes for the future.

The results when an offense has three seconds or less to get rid of the football before their quarterback is creamed are consistent. Pretty much nothing good happens for that offense unless of course they are able to check down at the line of scrimmage and find the hole left by a blitzer. However, if there are no holes and a defense is pressuring with just four men, it doesn’t turn out well – review the tape of the Ohio State Purdue game with Pryor running for his life on seemingly every down if you have any questions.

Against the Gophers I counted eight plays where the Buckeyes were able to get to Adam Weber in three seconds or under, and the results are typical:

Of note is the Gophers, when they were able to get to Pryor in three seconds or less, also had similar results.

A good deal was made of the progress of Pryor in this game, and yes he is making small steps each week.

That having been said, the single greatest factor in his more consistent passing was the protection up front by his offensive line. Clearly he is recognizing defenses and used his feet more than in recent weeks when he saw the defense in man to man coverage. However, get in his face quickly and you will see a quarterback having to make decisions on the run. When you stare down your primary receiver (as he is still learning not to do), a toss back across the middle late due to said pressure is not exactly recommended.

On a complimentary note, Pryor’s 62 yard touchdown pass to Posey was a thing of beauty. Where young quarterbacks are often guilty of becoming too excited and overthrowing their target, Pryor stepped into the throw and put it right on the money.

Finally, this week the Buckeyes at long last finished an opponent when they were given opportunities. Ohio State could easily have defeated USC and Purdue had they simply scored touchdowns instead of field goals (or even nothing at all). Where in previous contests they might have led only 10-0, against Minnesota they were up 21-0. It made all the difference in the world psychologically and in terms of play calling for both squads.

Hall is the first smaller back I have seen at Ohio State in years that I (thus far) actually like in terms of running style. This isn’t a personal preference but is simply a recognition that a smaller back has to run tough (in some ways tougher than a big back). He has to be able to break tackles and use his lower center of balance to his advantage. In a game of leverage the key is to be the low man and use it to move the defender out of the way or go through them to your desired goal.

Another note is Hall cuts at full speed. Brandon Saine, Maurice Hall, and Lydell Ross have all had the same struggle in that they slow to cut or even skid to a halt trying to find the hole. When the difference between a 30 yard run and a 3 yard loss is literally fractions of a second this gives the defense the needed advantage; while the tailback is still trying to regain lost momentum the hole closes. Watch Hall’s touchdown. Yes, the hole was large enough to cart a refrigerator through, but he cut without ever slowing and pounced forward for the score. Credit Saine for working toward this skill, but with Hall it appears to be a natural ability.

Finally, he falls forward the majority of the time despite his diminutive size. Just when it looks as though a defender will light him up for a massive hit, Hall will give them a leg and take it away. He will use his quickness and twist his body to avoid the blow and gain that extra yard at the end of the play. It may seem like a small thing, but if you end up with 3rd and 1 after back to back running plays instead of 3rd and 3… that is often the difference between success and failure. It can be argued the Buckeyes lost to Texas last year by literally inches when the Longhorns were able to convert a key 4th down; what if in the future the shoe was on the other foot?

Before anyone pounces on Terrelle Pryor in the future if he has an off day in the passing game, remember he lacks a stud wide receiver. Dane Sanzenbacher is solid in the slot, but neither Posey nor Duron Carter are ready for the big time and prove it every week. Posey’s blocking skills are nearly epic, but against the Gophers he failed to catch at least three balls that a premier receiver grabs.

Is this unexpected?

It shouldn’t be.

The difference between a sophomore receiver and a junior or senior receiver is typically pretty stark. In 2004 against Northwestern, Santonio Holmes was stretching out for what might have been a catch to set up a field goal and avoid overtime. If he had made the catch the Buckeyes probably would have won the game, but instead they lost it. Unfortunately Holmes was interfered with on the catch attempt and was unable to make the play, but a mature, star receiver makes the play because he is prepared for the defender to try and be physical. In 2005, Holmes was a different player – catching just about anything in his zip code and adjusting to defenders who ignored the rule book in the hopes of gaining a slight advantage. Look back at the 2001 Outback Bowl when Ohio State tried for a deep bomb near the end of regulation. It was a good call and actually a pretty good pass. Michael Jenkins was going deep for it when the defensive back turned physical; Jenkins gave up on the route and watched the defensive back intercept the ball. Instead of tackling him, Jenkins ran to the referee to complain. Meanwhile, the defender returned the ball into Ohio State territory for the eventual game winning field goal. In his junior season against Purdue, the defensive back was clutching and grabbing him as they raced down the field on 4th down. With the season on the line Jenkins fought through the interference to make the ‘Holy Buckeye’ catch for a touchdown.

Look for Posey to be imposing in 2009 but recognize that for right now, he, Pryor, and the entire offense are still growing.